The results of the scientific trips of Kazakhstani historians and archivists to the major international archival centers

06 November 2013

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In
order to conduct a research to identify some new archival materials on the
history and culture of Kazakhstan, as a part of the program “The people in the
flow of History”, an expert working group was set up in order to provide a
compiled and qualitative scientific analysis of the previously collected
archival and research materials relating to the study of the national history
of Kazakhstan (the order of the Chairman of the Science Committee of the
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan from June, 7
2013 №25).

The
step-by-step plan was approved in order to provide for an effective
organization of the researchers work, furthermore the archival funds were
defined along with the libraries while the timetable was also composed and
approved. Moreover, the scientific trips were organized to the foreign funds of
10 different countries: Iran, India, China, Egypt, Turkey, Mongolia, the United
Kingdom, Germany, Uzbekistan and Russia. Finally, the lineups of the group of
researches, which consists of 23 people from the different countries, was
designed as well as the further directions of the work were determined. Almost
15 million tenge have been allocated towards the realization of this
step-by-step plan.

The results of the scientific trips:

Firstly,
the researchers were able to identify and brought to Kazakhstan from Mongolia,
China and Germany the copies of the historical evidence on the history of early
nomads. The copies are mostly based on a various sources such as antique,
Turkic runic petroglyph, ancient Indian and Chinese sources. All together they
give an idea as to what is the proto Turkic period, what is the ancient and
what is the Old Turkic period in the history of the ancestors of the Turkic
nation (in specifically, the Kazakh). About 2000 digital photos, 60 copies of
drawings of architectural monuments and exactly 28 copies of the Turkic
epitaphic masterpieces were purchased. The resulting material is currently
analyzed. The wide basis of the sources like Syrian, Turkic (petroglyph) or
Chinese, could be used to explore the ethnic composition and geographical
dispersal of not only the Kazakh nomadic nations, but also of those in Central
Asia. This new material will help to establish a system of inheritance of the
supreme power of the ancient Turks.

Secondly,
in Egypt, Iran, Turkey and Uzbekistan, the researchers were able to identify
and also brought to Kazakhstan the copies of the archival materials on the
history of Turkic Khoresms, also on history of Mongolic and Uigur people, on
history of all of the Muslim governors, moreover on the history of Genghis
Khan, Amir Temir. Achieved almost 177 copies of archival materials and
microfilm (1530 frames), to be specific, the works of “Tarikh-al-Salzhuk”,
“Tarikh-Zhalaladdin Horezm”, “Majah al-ansab”, “Tarikh-Ulzhaytu” and
“Kitabkamil fi-t-tarikh”, all of them are unique sources on the history of
Kazakhstan and Central Asia during the Pre-Mongolian and Past-Mongolian
periods. All together they contain the information about the Turkic tribes of Mawarannahr, about the
Turkic khans, and also about the description of the cities in Turkistan.

Thirdly,
in China, India, Russia and the Great Britain, the researchers were able to
identify and brought to Kazakhstan, the copies of priceless eastern manuscripts
which were held in the Bodleian and British libraries, in the First historical
archive of China, in the Amir Raz library (Rampur city, India), also in the
Salardhzhang Museum (Hyderabad, India), and in the National Archive of the
Republic of Kalmykia, about 882 copies of the archive materials were purchased.
Some of them are of a great importance, for example the unique lists of
“Nursat-name” and “Muizzal-anslab”, both of them are crucial for the study of
real historical events between XIV-XVII centuries and also the work of Mahmud
Vali, “Bahr al-asrar”, on the history of Kazakh khans and sultans in the
XVI-XVII centuries. From the First Historical Archives of China, the researches
brought the copies of archival documents of the Qing Empire, resulting in total
of 283 volumes (72,812 documents) related to Kazakh history. Some unique
information was found among the letters between Kazakh governors and the heads
of other States, for example the information on the correspondence of
Abylaikhan, Bolat-khan Sultan, Wali Sultan and other Kazakh khans and sultans.

Thus,
almost 3000 copies of the archival materials (digital photos, the drawings of
architectural monuments, some epitaphic Turkic monuments, microfilms,
directories, maps etc.) which were presented at the International Conference on
the celebration of the 300th Abylaikhan anniversary (October, 5
2013, Kokshetau city), as a part of II Congress of Historians of Kazakhstan,
were acquired.

The
Information center on researching the archive materials was established as a
part of the Institute of Oriental Studies named after R.B. Suleimenov, in order
to maintain further work development as well as the data processing systems of
the materials and its analysis. The Director of the center is a well-known
orientalist Abuseitov M.X.

According
to the results of expedition, a report on the work done in foreign funds and
archives has been prepared by the Center. The formation of the digital fund of
sources and materials on the History of Kazakhstan, held in foreign regions,
initiated.

The work of historians of Kazakhstan in the funds of foreign archives
was summed up during the plenary session of the II Congress of Historians of
Kazakhstan. The decision to continue the collection of archival materials on
the history and culture of Kazakhstan, based on the discussions, was made.

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